Record Label: Ingrooves
Genre: Reggae Rock
Band Link: http://www.ballyhoorocks.com
Buy on Amazon.com

It was only a month or so ago that I didn’t even know that Ballyhoo existed. Well that’s not entirely true, I’ve seen the name being talked about but haven’t heard their music until recently. As soon as I heard their stuff, I just thought it was catchy reggae/rock that would be perfect to listen to during the summertime. Now the band from Maryland are back with a new album entitled Pineapple Grenade.

Pineapple Grenade is just like their previous albums, and I have no problem with that. Surfy reggae rock; some tracks more reggae than others. I prefer tracks like “She Wants To Destroy Me,” “Lost at Sea” and “Beautiful Day” because it just screams Summer to me. The band has their fair share of rock tunes as well. The guitar work on “Battle Cry” in one spot reminded me of the surf punk guitar work of East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys.

There is a poppy, top-20 style song like “No Good,” but it doesn’t sound lame like something you’d hear on the radio. If they start to dance on stage and do a dance number with headsets on, then maybe I’d question them. “Instigator” is a catchy song with some impressive funky guitar riffs in there. “Beautiful Day” seems like one of their more radio-friendly songs and one I could see getting played over some commercials. “Lost at Sea” is the song I keep going back to listen to. The combo of Howie’s vocals, beachy reggae music, and a song that you can sing along to makes it just awesome. The entire album is just pleasant to listen if you enjoy reggae, punk and rock. I still can’t believe I’m only getting around to listening to Ballyhoo! now; I guess i’m late to the party. If you get a chance to get the bonus tracks from the album, do it because there’s some good ones available on iTunes and elsewhere.

There are so many bands that play a Sublime reggae/stoner rock these days but I seriously think Ballyhoo! is a band that does it the best. At least that’s what I think because each band that plays that style has a few good songs, and then the rest I dislike. But with Ballyhoo!, every song is great! Pineapple Grenade is the album that will see Ballyhoo! explode with even more popularity.

Bottom Line: For fans of Sublime, 311, Dirty Heads and even Jack Johnson
Notable Tracks: She Wants To Destroy Me, Instigator, Beautiful Day, Lost at Sea, Love Letters
Overall Rating: